Grappling with Whiteness: Latent Profiles of White Racial Consciousness and Affect's Impact on Critical Reflection

Understood from a critical consciousness framework, White racial identity development involves recognizing and combating White privilege and supremacy. The present study investigated the development of White American young adults' racial identity through their racial consciousness and racial affect and their combined impact on critical reflection using a person-centered approach via Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). Participants were 716 White identifying participants (M_age = 21.00, SD = 6.20 years; 68% women) who ethnically identified as White (90%) or European American. Participants completed surveys about their White racial consciousness, affect, and critical reflection. The results gave a six-profile solution to understanding White racial identity that can be closely similar to the six statuses proposed by the model of White identity development. However, White racial consciousness is more complex than theorized. The six-profile solution contained insights into how White adults conceive of their Whiteness, both as a racial identity and emotionally. The most illuminating findings of the LPA are in the combinations of identity and affect. The results indicated that even though White individuals are high in racial consciousness, it does not necessarily mean they critically reflect on their privileged position. Further, there was no support for the influence of multiple marginalized identities in helping develop White racial consciousness.